Wine Vault: 1994 White Bordeaux
What does one make of Bordeaux these days? It seems that the endless wind tunnel of Bordeaux's hype machine is constantly beating the drums over the humdrum red wines of the vintages since 1990, with prices spiraling incessantly upward for young wines of less promise than the 1997 New York Mets. While the trumpets blare daily on the average reds, the region actually does come up with a vintage that warrants some acclaim, and the same Bordeaux bulls are virtually silent. The 1994 White Bordeaux crop is as exciting as anything to issue forth from this region since the 1990 clarets. The wines have everything except the sizzle of overworked public relations. As a whole, the 1994 whites offer up a beautiful combination of deep, intense, chewy textures, stunningly pure aromatics, and the structures and balance to truly reward long aging. As many wine enthusiasts know, 1994 had the potential to be one of the great vintages of the century, before torrential autumn rains knocked the quality down to the level of merely good. While the red wines have turned out passably (and would warrant attention if the prices were more reasonable), the 1994 white wines have gone into bottle without having suffered at the hands of the fickle fin de saison. These are big, pure wines that offer up explosive bouquets, fat, opulent palate impressions, and with plenty of acidity to carry them decades.
This tasting was conducted single blind, with the wines served in flights of two, and then revealed before the next round of wines. What is clear from the notes is that the Graves has a larger number of serious white wine estates now than at any other time in its history. The quality of winemaking over the last couple of years has risen dramatically at estates such as Carbonnieux, Smith Haut Lafite, and most notably, La Louviere. It is interesting that this renaissance has occurred at a time of virtual indifference to these wines on the part of the overheated international wine commodities market. While this is not great news for the producers, it does offer one avenue of opportunity for the forgotten collectors of more modest means. The only brutally priced bottle in this stellar lineup was the Haut Brion Blanc, whose price was flat out doubled by the chateau on release for the 1994. Given the quality of the wine (see below), the price increase in understandable, though certainly not laudable. In addition, the love affair with new wood that went a bit overboard in the mid-to-late '80s seems now to have calmed down. The '94s I tasted displayed a judicious use of new oak to frame and "season" the wine (as a chef would use a spice) which melded beautifully with the flavors and aromas of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. However, the aromatic and palate subtleties that are the glory of top Graves are, in my estimate, easily subsumed if subjected to a heavy-handed use of new oak. This was not the case with the vast majority of wines in this lineup. Granted, the extraordinary depth of the best wines of this vintage would certainly stand up to over-oaking better than less well-endowed vintages. Nevertheless, it is clear that excessive use of new oak is not a problem at the top white wine addresses in the Gironde. (Perhaps this is not so apparent at many red wine addresses in the Bordeaux region.) All in all, these are the most exciting group of wines to issue forth from Bordeaux since the 1990 clarets.
The Wine List:
1994 Olivier
1994 Carbonnieux
1994 Couhins Lurton
1994 Clos Floridene
1994 Blanc de Lynch Bages
1994 Smith Haut Lafite
1994 De Fieuzal
1994 La Louviere
1994 Pavillon Blanc de Chateau Margaux
1994 Plantiers de Haut Brion
1994 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc
1994 Pape Clement Blanc
1994 Laville Haut Brion
1994 Haut Brion Blanc
Including Other Recently Tasted White Bordeaux:
1993 Chateau Haut Brion Blanc
1990 De Fieuzal
1990 La Louviere
1990 Haut Brion Blanc
1989 Laville Haut Brion
1988 Ygrec
1988 Domaine de Chevalier
1988 Laville Haut Brion
1987 Chateau Haut Brion Blanc
1983 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc
1983 Laville Haut Brion
1978 Chateau Laville Haut Brion
1964 Laville Haut Brion
1994 Olivier
Even the woeful Olivier has turned in a drinkable bottle in 1994! This wine seems to be more marked by the sauvignon blanc than many of the estates in the Graves, with a grassy nose of lemon-lime, cut grass, minerals, and a hint of petrol. Still quite closed on the palate, with moderate depth, good balance, snappy acids, and a modestly long finish. This wine may well become more interesting with a couple of years in the bottle. 1999-2005. 83-85.
1994 Carbonnieux
Very little has been said about the awakening at Carbonnieux, but the quality is most assuredly on the upsurge. The 1994 white offers up more depth, richness and complexity than anything this chateau has released in decades. The nose is quite stylish, with scents of ripe figs, melon, minerals and a deft touch of vanillin oak. Medium-full, pretty and quite elegant on the palate, with a juicy core of fruit, solid acids, and a long, complex finish. A very enjoyable bottle for drinking over the next decade. 1997-2007. 87+
1994 Couhins Lurton
While the Carbonnieux is quite discreet and demanding of attention, the Couhins-Lurton is a much more insistent, flamboyant bottle. The nose jumps from the glass with aromas of grapefruit, petrol, grass, and an overly generous serving of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is broad and full on the attack, but tails off a bit from the mid-palate back, and seems to be one of the most forward and short-lived of this entire line-up. Ultimately, the '94 Couhins-Lurton brings plenty of volume and sex appeal to the table, but lacks the delineation and reserves to make it a meaningful companion on more than a handful of occasions. 1997-2001. 88.
1994 Clos Floridene
After the extrovertedly oaky 1990, I was pleasantly surprised to see how well-balanced and serious the 1994 Clos Floridene showed. This wine is quite young and tightly-knit at the present time, but with air offers up a bouquet of lemon, cut grass, minerals, spring flowers, and a delightfully light touch of vanillin oak. On the palate it offers excellent depth and concentration, a fine, stylish attack, bright acidity, lovely complexity, and a long, serious finish. While the initial volume of the Couhins-Lurton paired with it was much more attention-grabbing, over the course of the twenty minutes these wines were toyed with, the Clos Floridene's inherent superiority became glaringly apparent. Give it a couple of years in the cellar to really blossom. 2000-2015. 90.
1994 Blanc de Lynch Bages
This wine was clearly the most exotic wine of the tasting (other than the big HB). Tropical notes of pineapple, guava, as well as fig, hints of petrol, minerals, and a touch of new oak waft from the glass. This seems distinctly botrytized, but in an appealing way for near-term consumption. Full, bright, packed with fruit, and quite expressive on the palate, particularly after the more restrained bottles from the Graves region. The finish is quite long, thick, and powerful. This is a very successful bottling for this wine, which has on occasion been a bit simple and grassy in previous vintages. 1997-2002. 88.
1994 Smith Haut Lafite
This chateau is moving up the quality ladder at a very brisk pace, and their '94 white is superb stuff. The nose offers up a classic melange of lemon, fresh figs, plenty of petrol, beeswax, a layer of minerals, and a deft touch of vanillin oak. Deep, full and packed with fruit on the palate, with great cut and structure, classically-proportioned, and very, very long on the finish. This is a marvelous bottle that should unfold gracefully over the next two decades. While drinkable now, I would tuck it away for a few years, and let its secondary flavors emerge. 2002-2020. 91.
1994 De Fieuzal
I have been a huge fan of De Fieuzal's white wines since their breakout vintage of 1985. However, the 1994, while a truly lovely wine, left me a bit underwhelmed in the context of the vintage. The wine is certainly very fine, but the fact that the opulent, extravagant side of Graves that De Fieuzal has epitomized for the last decade is toned-down a bit in such a blockbuster vintage as 1994 leaves me wondering if a stylistic change is in the wind for this chateau. The nose is very complex and stylish, but surprisingly high-toned, with scents of mission figs, citrus, herb tones, cut grass, petrol, minerals, and a hint of vanillin wood. On the palate the wine is very tight, but with fine depth and length, bright, snappy acids, and a long, complex finish. It is conceivable that this wine will open up over the next five or six years, and reveal more power, but for now this is one of the most polite De Fieuzals I have ever encountered. 2002-2020. 92.
1994 La Louviere
I am embarrassed by my continual lack of faith in this chateau. Time after time I am blinded on this wine and absolutely blown away, and yet the next enthralling encounter with La Louviere leaves me again amazed! The 1994 is unequivocally the greatest wine to yet issue forth from this fine property, with the depth, complexity, and length that firmly moves this chateau up into the rarefied company in Graves. The nose is deep, explosive and profound, with scents fo ripe melons, figs, lemon, plenty of petrol, minerals, spring flowers, herb tones and a generous framing of vanillin oak. On the palate this wine positively buries the De Fieuzal paired with it: deeper, more powerful and opulent on the palate, with equally fine balance and focus, a strong sense of extract, this is one of the stunning successes of this stellar Graves vintage. The finish is long, absolutely packed with fruit, and much more expressive in terms of soil tones than any wine yet in this tasting. This is a Herculean effort for La Louviere! 2000-2020. 94.
1994 Pavillon Blanc de Chateau Margaux
Unfortunately, our bottle of this was clearly off. The nose offered up scents of musty cellar and chicken bouillon! Similar flavors carried through on the palate. I would not say that this wine was corked, but something was clearly amiss. I will try to retaste it in the next few weeks.
1994 Plantiers de Haut Brion
The rare second label of Haut Brion Blanc has turned out profoundly in 1994. In a vintage where Jean Delmas is on record as stating that Haut Brion has never made a finer wine, it is no surprise that the Plantiers is also a legend in the making. The nose is deep, complex, and so compelling, with aromas of ripe apples, figs, lemon oil, subtle herb tones, emerging scents of petrol, loads of minerals, and a beautiful base of vanillin oak just soaring from the glass. On the palate the wine is perfectly balanced, long and layered, with a great core of fruit in reserve, bright, well-integrated acids, and a long, complex, magnificent finish. My tasting notes simply end with "brilliant, brilliant wine." Haut Brion is on one of those tears that "golden age" legends are made from! Not bad for a second wine! 2000-2025. 95.
1994 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc
Domaine de Chevalier has turned out a stunning 1994: the nose explodes from the glass with scents of a million figs, apples, honey dew melons, petrol, herbal notes, minerals, and plenty of vanillin oak. This wine is deeper-pitched and will ultimately be more "petrolly" than wines such as Plantiers or La Louviere. Huge and impeccably balanced on the palate with fabulous depth, flawless balance, and a long, snappy, nearly perfect finish. This DDC towers above such stellar successes as the 1983 and 1990! The runner-up of the vintage. 2005- 2035. 96.
1994 Pape Clement Blanc
This is another rare white Graves that has done remarkably well in 1994. More marked by its generous oak treatment than many of these big guns, the '94 Pape Clement Blanc offers up a gorgeous bouquet of lemony citrus tones, figs, cut grass, hints of petrol, vanilla and spicy oak nuances. On the palate the wine shows more of its Sauvignon Blanc side, with a lovely grassiness, citric notes, bright acids, and a lovely note of spicy oak on the finish. This is a gorgeous wine that walks more on the gentle side of the vintage, without giving up any of the intensity and length of the best wines of the vintage. A graceful, bountiful mouthful. 2002-2030. 94+.
1994 Laville Haut Brion
Laville has turned in a prodigious performance in 1994, but unfortunately, this fine, fine wine will have to forever live in the shadow of the shimmering fountain of perfection that is 1994 Haut Brion Blanc. The Laville is no lightweight in this vintage, with a stunning nose of ripe figs, loads of petrol, cut grass, hints of honey, minerals, and spicy wood. This is a deep-pitched, potentially oily and viscous powerhouse that offers up zesty acidity, fine balance, and a long, powerful finish. This is a great, great Laville that we did a supreme disservice to by pairing it with the larger than life Haut Brion Blanc! 2005-2040. 95.
1994 Haut Brion Blanc
And what of the legend? Early reports in the spring of 1995, from Jean Delmas, proprietor of Chateau Haut Brion, were that the 1994 Haut Brion Blanc was the greatest white wine to ever issue forth from this venerable estate. Tasting the '94 Haut Brion Blanc (picked before the rains), one can see just how profound this vintage could have been. How good is the 1994 Haut Brion Blanc? Pick your favorite vintage of the 1982-1990 period. Now imagine your favorite wine from that year. 1989 Haut Brion. 1986 Mouton-Rothschild. 1990 Latour. 1982 Le Pin, Petrus or Cheval Blanc. Legends abound throughout this stretch. Now in any of these vintages, 1994 Haut Brion Blanc would equal the greatest wine produced in Bordeaux, red or white, dry or sweet. Seriously, this wine is that good. As full bodied as the 1989, as clean, nuanced and laser-like in its focus as the 1990. And more. This is the most pristine, pure, and powerful white Graves that I have ever run across my palate. And yet, the overall impression is a wine of lightness of step, and immeasurable, bountiful grace. The bouquet unfolds endlessly in the glass to offer up scents of passion fruit, apple, lemon, petrol, herbal notes, loads of minerals, and plenty of vanillin oak. It is still painfully young, but endowed with such richness and opulence that it is gorgeous to drink right now. But make no mistake, this is just the tip of the iceberg! This legendary wine may well drink magically for fifty or sixty years! Stick this wine in a comparative tasting of '94 Montrachets and New World chardonnays and I defy anyone to even notice the chardonnay-based wines! A big glass of magic elixir! 2006-2075. 100.
Other Recently Tasted White Bordeaux
1993 Chateau Haut Brion Blanc
I remember this wine arriving as a tight, zesty, relatively austere HB Blanc with classic flavors of fig, lemon, cut grass, petrol, minerals, and sweet vanillin oak. While all those flavors are still in abundance two years later, the wine has developed a whole new level of aromatic and flavor exotica. Its as if the count has traded in the family Bentley for a Lamberghini! Scents of papaya, passion fruit, and sweet limes have burst from this staid gentleman, while the intensity level of the classic aromas mentioned above has quintupled. This is now one glass of very, very flashy juice. Huge and still impeccably balanced on the palate, with fine length and focus (this is still Haut Brion Blanc, after all!), lime-flavored acidity, and a long, long, long powerful finish. Destined to always live in the shadow of the larger than life effort in 1994, this wine remains one of the greatest young Haut Brion Blancs I have tasted. Spectacular stuff in full flight. 2000-2030. 95.
1990 De Fieuzal
This is one De Fieuzal that I cannot quite figure out. The bottle did not seem corked, and it showed no signs of temperature extremes, and yet, the nose and flavors are as un-Graves-like as I have encountered. The bouquet offers up odd scents of candied passion fruit, cotton candy, marshmallow, honey, minerals, and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is quite full, possesses great length, and is well-balanced, but the slightly bizarre notes of the nose are echoed here as well. The acids are sound and juicy, so this wine will continue to evolve, but if this bottle truly represents the flavor profile of the wine, what it evolves into is anyone's guess! 1997-2010. If you want your Graves to walk on the wild side: 92. Otherwise: 88.
1990 La Louviere
I have been served this wine double blind twice in the last few months, and have consistently called the wine De Fieuzal. It reminds me very much of the 1985 De Fieuzal in its youth (which I adored), with a big, classic nose of petrol, figs, apples, a bit of grassiness, loads of minerals, and a generous coating of vanillin oak. On the palate, the elegance, structure, and the great ripeness coupled with a sense of restraint that is the hallmark of the 1990 vintage is clearly on display here. Medium-full, packed with fruit, and oh so tightly-knit (for those of us who crave structure in our wines, if not our lives), with bright acids, a great core of fruit, and a long, complex, stunning finish. For those that need evidence that La Louviere is now one of the big boys in the Graves, look no further. 1997-2015. 92.
1990 Haut Brion Blanc
This will be one of the longest-lived HBB's of the last couple of decades. Oh yes, it will also be one of the best. When one tastes Haut Brion Blanc, the sheer size and power of the wine are often masked by the perfection of balance and focus in the wine. I vividly recall the comments of a very passionate Burgundy collector when we were tasting the '90 Haut Brion Blanc together: "The wine is superb; obviously a great wine; it's just too perfect!" The '90 is indeed a wine that is digital in its precision and delineation, with a tight, but very deep nose of lemon, green apple, cut grass, figs, spring flowers, hints of petrol, loads of minerals, and a fine touch of vanillin oak. Very full-bodied on the palate, but with a tight girdle of youthful acidity keeping it under wraps for the next decade. The finish is long and laser-like, and the wine possesses a huge core of fruit waiting in the wings. This will be a toweringly profound HBB, but give it some time. 2002-2030. 94+.
1989 Laville Haut Brion
1989 torrid growing season is clearly on display in this outsized, extravagant mouthful of a wine. I have never encountered a bigger, more exotic Laville, and while I worry about all this stuffing being able to evolve gracefully over the ensuing decades, it is a real joy to drink right now. The nose explodes from the glass with scents of toasted coconut, mango, melon, figs, beeswax, tons of herbs, minerals, plenty of petrol, and toasty new oak. On the palate this massive wine coats the tongue with waves of super-ripe fruit, a strong sense of extract, enough balancing acidity to carry it another decade, and a level of sheer power that is extraordinary for white Bordeaux. The finish is very long and complex, with just a bit of raggedness from the sheer volume of the onslaught that has preceded it. I can think of certain wine writers who would find this their be-all and end-all for Graves, but as stunning as this is, I would rather drink 1993 Haut Brion Blanc. A very, very impressive wine. 1997-2010. 93+.
1988 Ygrec
Here is an example of La Miss at the peak of its game. This is a big, full-bodied, powerful wine that is drinking beautifully, but with plenty of years still ahead of it. Like the 1978, it is a very, very short list of wines in 1979 that are in the same league as La Miss. The nose is wonderful, with notes of sweet black berries, cassis, black truffles, roasted tobacco, earth, smoke and cedar. Full-bodied and generously into its apogee on the palate, with moderate tannins, excellent balance, and a long, complex finish. Super stuff. 1997-2015. 92.
1976 Cote-Rotie- Robert Jasmin
I do not encounter Ygrec very often, and it is always a pleasure to taste the wine. That said, it strikes me as a wine that is quite difficult to match with food. Other than the customary foie gras, I am hard pressed to think of any dish that would match well with Ygrec that would not fit even better with a different wine. The 1988 is a fine vintage for Ygrec, with a classic, very bright bouquet of lemon, apricot, honey, minerals, and a fine coating of vanillin oak. Deep, long, concentrated, and very well-delineated on the palate, with zesty lemony acidity giving the wine lift and focus. The finish is long, complex, and ends with a fine note of honey. A lovely wine. 1997-2015. 91.
1988 Domaine de Chevalier
The 1998 DDC is just hitting its plateau of maturity, and is a superb vintage for this property. The nose is stunning, with scents of ripe figs, casaba melon, herbal notes, toasted coconut, loads of minerals, petrol and sweet vanillin oak. Wide open and packed with snappy fruit on the palate, this wine possesses perfect balance, excellent depth, and a long, very complex and suave finish. Not quite as powerful as vintages such as 1983, this is still a big, gorgeous wine without a hair out of place. Enjoy it over the next two and a half decades! 1997-2020. 93+.
1988 Laville Haut Brion
This is a big, oily Laville that offers up a powerful, deeply-pitched nose of overripe melons, loads of petrol, beeswax, minerals, and plenty of vanillin oak. Very full and deep on the palate, with plenty of gout de petrol, an oily consistency, plenty of balancing acidity, and a big, long, tongue-coating finish. This wine is bigger and much more powerful than the '88 DDC, but I find it quite outclassed by that very elegant wine. Perhaps it still experiencing a bit of adolescent grumpiness, and will develop more finesse as it continues to age. 2000-2020. 90.
1987 Chateau Haut Brion Blanc
The one that got away! This is a truly wonderful HB Blanc that was missed due to budgetary constraints. Thank goodness to have friends that were more flush at the time! The nose is magical, with a very exotic fruit tone that recalls passion fruit and mango as well as the more standard lemon and fig. Plenty of petrol, minerals, honey, and sweet vanillin oak as well. Full-bodied and quite ready on the palate, with great balance, a deep core of fruit, crisp acidity, and a long, complex, powerful finish. While wines such as 1983, 1985, and 1988 remain years away, this fine wine has hit its peak. Great stuff from an overlooked vintage! 1997-2005. 92.
1983 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc
This wine was my first love in white graves, and I continue to be enthralled each and every time I have the wine. The last couple of these bottles have been pretty open and flamboyant, but this wine was much tighter and more closed than I anticipated. Previously, I felt this wine had entered into its plateau of maturity, but now I feel a few more years will still bring further rewards. A really lovely, complex nose of lemon, fig, melon, mild herbaceousness, minerals, hints of honey, and sweet vanillin oak wafts from the glass. . Really tight and refined. Medium-full, tight, laser-like and very complex on the palate, with a great core of fruit, tight acidity, and a long, complex, vanillin finish. Very Haut Brion Blanc-like, and dramatically more closed than this wine was a year ago! 2000-2020. 93.
1983 Laville Haut Brion
A superb showing for this wine: honey, figs, apples, minerals, a touch of petrol, touch of coconut, lemon, and sweet vanillin oak on the nose. Full-bodied and crisp on the palate, with a huge mid-palate that is just beginning to open; long and complete on the finish. I have a slight preference for both Haut Brion Blanc and Dome de Chevalier in this vintage, but a fine wine, nonetheless. 92. 1998-2015.
1978 Chateau Laville Haut Brion
A very, very young wine! This wine was decanted for twenty-five minutes before serving, and it only opened up a tad. The reticent nose offers up fresh scents of lemon, fig, beeswax, petrol, a touch of grassiness, minerals, honey, and sweet vanillin oak. Significantly more high-toned and lemony than the 1983. Full-bodied and lemony on the palate, with a great core of fruit, firm acids, fine focus, and a long, potentially complex finish. Amazingly, this wine is still at least five years away from hitting its peak! A fine Laville. 2003-2015. 90.
1964 Laville Haut Brion
Drink wines, not numbers! I have seen nothing but derogatory comments about this wine, and yet it is a profound bottle of wine. A great, great showing for a wine that is not supposed to be serious juice. The nose is stunning, with scents of lemon, petrol, tangerine, cream, minerals, and spring flowers. This wine is still vibrantly alive and fresh, with the years that have passed just adding layer after layer of complexity to the wine. Wonderful purity and focus on the palate, medium-full with a great core of clean fruit, fine structure and balance, and a brisk girdle of acidity. This stunner is a point, but with at least ten more years of life ahead of it! I cannot believe how good this wine really is! 1996-2010. 94.
